Proposed amendments

Explanatory note

This Supplementary Order Paper amends clauses 65 and 86A of the Health and Safety Reform Bill to ensure the protection of health and safety in New Zealand is not weakened by it.

Clauses 65(3) and 86A(3) of the Bill weaken the requirement to have worker participation systems from that currently provided in the Act. At present every workplace over 30 workers must have a health and safety representation system and those under must have one if requested by their workers. This Bill was meant to ensure that all workplaces have a participation system for health and safety. However conflict within the Government has seen this weakened to create a carve-out for businesses employing under 20 workers. A huge number of workplace accidents occur in businesses employing under 20 workers and these are not limited simply to high-risk sectors like forestry. This provision, if left in place, could see significantly more workplace accidents occur in New Zealand and this amendment proposes its removal.